Together (rewrite)
by ladyyoko86
Summary: So i decided to go back and do a rewrite of Together, it's still the same story but i have made changes and added or taken away things that i thought just didn't fit.
1. Chapter 1

Together (ReWrite)

Chapter 1

Addicted, that was the only word that could accurately describe it. She was addicted to him; his eyes, his hair and especially his touch. His fingers drove her mad with ecstasy.

Obsessed, that was a good word to describe his situation. He was obsessed with her; her laugh, her beauty, and her curves. Her kisses drove him wild.

They both dreamed of spending every waking moment wrapped in each other's arms. But neither acted on their feelings they stayed silent until one day someone came in between them.

Let me start at the beginning

Botan was running through the halls of the palace, this wasn't like her she was running late, very late. 'Oh, Koenma is going to kill me' she thought. She began to pick up the pace when she felt herself run smack dab into something. She felt herself loose her balance and braced herself for a fall that never came. She looked up to see what had kept her from falling and was met with a pair of emerald eyes and long red hair.

"Kurama!" she cried.

"Hello Botan" he said. She extracted herself from him and said "Sorry Kurama, I didn't mean to run into to you it's just that I'm in a hurry."

"I noticed" he replied looking at her amused.

"What are you doing in Spirit World Kurama?" she asked while she straightened her clothing not really noticing how he was looking at her.

"I had some business to discuss with Koenma" he replied.

"Oh" she said while fidgeting. Before either could speak again a shout could be heard throughout the halls.

"BOTAN!" at the sound of her name she cringed and said "Oh no" and ran away. Kurama grinned at her back 'she's rather cute when she's flustered' he thought as he began to walk away. Kurama though about Botan the entire way back to human world.

Meanwhile in Koenma's office Botan tried to pay attention to what the toddler lord was trying to tell her but all she could think about was her run in with Kurama. She thought about how green his eyes were and how they sparkled when the light hit them. She continued to think about him until Koenma said "Botan, are you listening to me?" she shook her head in response and he continued on with what he was telling her, although it wasn't soon before she started thinking about Kurama again. It seemed she couldn't help herself.

Later that night Kurama lay in bed staring at the ceiling while thinking about a certain blue haired woman. He thought about how flustered she seemed when they bumped into each other earlier that day, he also thought about how beautiful he thought she was. He continued musing on her when he heard a soft tap on the window. He got up to see who it could be, although he had a pretty good idea, after all there was only one person who didn't use the front door. He opened his mouth to ask Hiei what he wanted this late but was surprised to see Botan.

"Hello Botan" he said.

"Hello Kurama" she replied. Neither spoke until Kurama realized she was still floating outside his window, he came to his senses and said "I'm sorry, would you like to come in?"

She nodded and climbed into his bedroom. "You know Botan, I do have a front door, after all I don't live with my mother anymore. "

"Sorry Kurama, I'll remember to use the front door next time" she replied while looking at the floor.

"So Botan, what brings you here tonight?" he asked her.

She looked up at him and said "Well Koenma gave me the night off and decided I wanted to spend some time in human world, although I forgot how late it would be when I got here" she said.

"Yes it is rather late, but seeing as how I'm still awake would you like to go do something with me?" Kurama asked.

"That would be great" she replied as she felt Kurama's hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and when he smiled at her she smiled back at him. Before she knew it she was being dragged outside by Kurama. Her heart jumped into her throat at his touch. He let go of her hand as they got into his car. She couldn't help but be a little disappointed at the loss of warmth.

They rode in silence, Botan sneaked peeks at his profile every few minutes. Kurama noticed she was staring at him but didn't say a word; in fact he kind of liked the attention he was getting from her. He was used to getting attention from women but this was different, he actually enjoyed the way Botan slid glances his way. On more than one occasion he turned to look at her, she would be embarrassed at being caught staring and quickly turned her head away. She watched as the city passed by and was a little surprised to see him start driving towards the hills.

She turned to him and asked "Kurama, where are we going?"

He looked back at her and chuckled and said "That's a surprise."

After he had driven for about an hour they finally came to a stop in front of a tall domed building situated on a cliff. She looked around as she stepped out of the car not knowing where they were. She looked up at the night sky and was amazed at the sight before her. She jumped when Kurama stepped towards her and said "Botan do you know where we are?"

"No" she replied.

"Well I wanted to bring you somewhere I knew you had never been before; I thought you might like to see where I spent time as a child."

"Kurama, I still don't know what this place is" she replied.

"Well Botan, this is the observatory, I thought you would enjoy looking at the stars" he said as he held out his hand so he could lead them inside. He led them to a large door and when they entered he found a light switch and flicked them on. She looked at him questioningly and he said "I told you I spent a great deal of time here as a child, I know where everything is."

He led her to the done and she gasped as the doors opened to reveal the bright night sky. She smiled and looked up to see the bright stars. "It's almost as if we could reach out and touch them from here" she said. She fell silent and just marveled at the beautiful sight before her. He led her to a seating area where they could lie back and stare at the sky.

After a few moments Botan sighed and said "They are so beautiful."

"Yes you are" he whispered as he stared at her.

"What?" she asked as she whipped her head so she looked at him.

"I said, yes they are" he replied hoping she wouldn't see how red his cheeks were becoming.

'Did I just say that out loud?' he thought.

"Did he just say I was beautiful?' she pondered.

The two fell silent again as they continued to watch the stars. She jerked her head towards him when she felt him cover her hand with his. He smiled at her and raised her hand to his lips "Well Botan, are you enjoying your night so far?" he asked as his lips left her skin.

"Yes I am, thank you so much Kurama" she whispered. He smiled and said "You're welcome."

They continued stargazing for a while longer until she said "Kurama it is late maybe we should start heading back to your house.

"Alright" he said, with that he got up and moved to close the dome doors, he turned off the lights and locked the doors as they stepped outside and headed to the car. He walked around so he could open the door for her and closed it slowly when she was settled in. He walked around and got in the car and started it up, he started driving home and looked over at her and was surprised to see she had fallen asleep. He smiled at the sight of her dozing peacefully. He drove them back to his place and when she did not stir he decided to bring her inside and lay her on the couch. He moved her hair from her face and whispered "Goodnight Botan."

He made his way upstairs to his bedroom and lay down, but instead of sleeping he thought about the sleeping woman downstairs and how much he had enjoyed her company this evening. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

The next day Kurama awoke with a smile still on his face. He couldn't explain why he felt so happy, his smile widened as this thoughts turned to last night. Immediately something clicked in his brain 'Could it be am I this happy because of Botan's visit? Does this mean I might have feelings for her?' he shook his head as if to clear the uncertainties floating in his brain.

He got ready and made his way downstairs to start breakfast, however he was surprised to see Botan in his kitchen cooking, or attempting to cook as he looked to see his kitchen in shambles. He tried to hide his smirk as he said "Good morning, Botan." She jumped at the sound of his voice and knocked over the open carton of milk that was on the counter causing it to spill all over the floor.

"Oh, no!" she cried looking around for a towel to start cleaning up the mess. "I'm sorry Botan I didn't mean to startle you" he said as he walked into the kitchen to grab a towel so he could help her clean up the mess. She moved to take the towel from him to clean up when he told her to sit; she did and watched him quietly as he cleaned the mess.

"Oh Kurama I'm sorry I wanted to do something nice for you to thank you for last night and I've gone and screwed it all up" she said as she buried her face in her hands. She shoulders began to shake and he heard her sniffle. He quickly moved to where she was sitting and laid a hand on her knee and said gently "Botan this was a lovely gesture but unnecessary, you don't have to thank me for anything I rather enjoyed your company last night." She removed her hands from her face and smiled as her purple eyes met his emerald ones.

"Come on , let's clean up this mess, and we'll go somewhere for breakfast" he said as he rose and made his way to the stove start throwing out the ruined food. "Ok" she said as she moved to help him. Soon the kitchen was clean once more and they were on their way to eat out. They walked to a small restaurant that was hidden a few blocks from Kurama's apartment; they entered and soon were seated. The two laughed as they enjoyed breakfast. When they finished Kurama suggested they go for a walk. They walked in silence down the crowded street with no real destination in mind. Botan couldn't help but notice the looks that Kurama was receiving from every woman, she began to giggle and Kurama looked at her suspiciously and she laughed even harder.

He stopped her in her tracks and said "Botan, may I ask what is so funny?"

She stopped laughing and took a breath and asked "Kurama, how do you do it?"

"Do what?" he asked with a confused look on his face.

"How do you handle all the attention and looks you get from all these women?"

"What do you mean?"

"You mean you don't notice?" she said eyebrows raised.

"No. Should I? He said, she just stared at him and started laughing again. He was flustered, he couldn't speak. She looked at him and could tell he was confused and said "never mind."

They started walking again and he snuck a glance at her and said "Botan, let's go to the park" as he moved his hand to intertwined his fingers with hers. She gasped as she felt his hand find its way to hers, and looked down just to be sure 'I can't believe he's holding my hand' she thought. Soon the two had arrived at the park where he led them to a secluded area.

"What are we doing here?" she asked as she looked around.

"I thought you might like to swing" he said as he pointed to a pair of swings in a corner. She nodded and they walked over. She sat down first and began to laugh when she felt him start to push her. She kicked her legs and enjoyed the feeling of the wind in her hair. He continued to push her, neither saying a word.

He pushed and pushed her until suddenly the swing came to an abrupt stop and she fell forward but stopped herself. She looked up at him to see why he had stopped pushing her; he was looking up at the sky. "Kurama what's wrong?"

"We should head home" he said as he helped her out of the swing.

"But. . . "She trailed off as the sky darkened as it started raining. She cried out in surprise and they both started running in the same direction. They ran and ran, trying to avoid puddles but failing miserably. By the time they had made it back to his house their clothes were soaked and their hair was plastered to their faces. They ran inside as quick as they could and laughed when they were finally able to get a good look at the other.

'Even soaking wet he's gorgeous' she thought.

"Botan" he said while she was lost in thought. She snapped out of it and acknowledged him.

"We should get out of these wet clothes."

"But I don't have anything else to wear" she said.

"Not to worry I might have something that might fit you" he led her to his room where he rummaged through his closet for some clothes for her. He handed her some clothes and she left to go change. She discarded her wet clothes quickly and threw them into the hamper and made her way back to his room, she opened the door and her jaw dropped at the sight of him shirtless. He turned as the door opened and smiled when he saw her standing in the doorway.

"I'm sorry Kurama I should have knocked" she said as her cheeks began to redden.

"No problem" he said before she shut the door so he could change in private. She made her way downstairs to the kitchen to make some hot tea. He opened the door expecting to see her, but she wasn't there. He went looking for her and found her once again in the kitchen.

"Botan you're not planning on cooking again are you?" he joked. She swatted at him and said with a smirk "No, one attempt per day is enough."

Phew, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Let me cook for you then" he said as he made his way to the pantry to grab what he needed to start dinner. A short while later dinner was ready and they sat down across from each other at the table to enjoy the meal.

"Kurama this is great!" she said between bites.

"I'm glad you like it" he said. As they finished dinner she began to help him clean the kitchen, when they were done he asked if she would like to stay and watch a movie with him, and she agreed. They sat on the sofa with a big bowl of popcorn between them and he started the movie. Kurama woke a few hours later with a kink in his neck 'why do my legs feel funny' he thought and he looked down and was surprised to see Botan asleep with her head in his lap. He smiled and shifted slightly to keep from hurting his neck more and went back to sleep. They stayed like that until morning.


	2. Chapter 2

Together (rewrite)

Chapter 2

Botan woke the next day confused; she opened her eyes and looked around, she realized she wasn't in her room and began to rack her brain. Finally it came to her 'Kurama and I were watching a movie last night. 'Oh my gosh I must have fallen asleep' she thought. She stretched and turned her head to look up and was met with a sight of a sleeping Kurama. She stared at the sleeping red head and a smile spread across her face, she started to reach up to move his hair away from his face and her movements woke him up. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and looked down to see what was in his lap and saw Botan. He was a little surprised to see her but did not show it instead he smiled at her and said "Is it morning already?"

"Yes" she squeaked embarrassment evident on her face. 'I can't believe I fell asleep in his lap' she thought. He noticed the look on her face but said nothing. "Did you sleep well? My lap is probably not the most comfortable place in the world to sleep" he said.

"I slept well, thanks" she replied.

"Good" he said, she realized she was still lying in his lap and quickly jumped up. When she vacated his lap he got up and stretched. He turned to ask her if she would care for some breakfast but before he could ask her she said "I'm sorry Kurama I have to go" and with that she raced out the door.

She was out of sight before he could say a word. He couldn't help but feel disappointment at her absence. Instead of dwelling on his disappointment he decided to busy himself with housework until it was time for him to head to class. While walking through campus he couldn't help but think about Botan, and as he did he grinned.

When he entered the classroom he decided to take a seat in the back of the class instead of the front, he began to take his books out of his backpack and waited patiently for the professor to start class. During the lecture he found himself ignoring the professor and daydreaming about what it might be like to be Botan's boyfriend. He didn't even realize that class had ended until he heard the professor say "Mr. Minamino you do realize class is over don't you?" Kurama looked around and indeed he was the only person left in class. He mumbled something to the teacher and quickly got up and made his way out the door and headed home. When he arrived he immediately sat down to start working on a project.

Meanwhile on the opposite side of town….

Botan sat in Keiko's bedroom; she had decided to visit her friend after she had left Kurama's house that morning. The two girls had spent a while catching up with one another until Keiko decided she wanted to do something different so she decided to give Botan a makeover. Botan soon found herself sitting in front of Keiko's vanity with curlers in her hair and a mud mask on her face. When Keiko was done she smiled and said "Tada" as she waived her arms. Botan just replied "mmm" without any enthusiasm. Keiko was disappointed her friend was not as excited as she was about the makeover and asked "Botan what's wrong?"

"It's nothing Keiko. I'm just a little preoccupied."

"Is there something you would like to talk about?" Keiko asked.

"Well now that you mention it I did want to ask you something. How did you know Yusuke was the one?"

Keiko sat stunned for a moment and then said "What do you mean, Botan?"

Botan sighed and said "I mean how did you know that you liked Yusuke, I mean as more than a friend?"

Keiko thought for a moment and replied "I just knew. I mean we had been friends since we were young and soon those feelings of friendship turned into something else. I would feel heart beating faster when he was and around, that was the biggest tipoff. Why do you ask?"

"Well" Botan trailed off as if she was embarrassed.

"Botan do you have a crush on someone?" Keiko asked.

Botan's cheeks flushed and she looked away "I knew it" Keiko cried "Who is it?"

Botan didn't answer and Keiko looked at her and said "Wait, I know, its Kurama isn't it?"

Botan gaped at her friend and said "Am I that obvious?"

Keiko looked at her friend and said sympathetically "Well sometimes you get this look on your face when he's around."

"What kind of look?" Botan asked as her eyes narrowed at her friend.

"You know, your eyes kind of go glassy and your mouth hangs open."

Botan thought for a moment about what Keiko had said, and then said "He's very cute isn't he?"

Keiko laughed and said "Well yes, but don't tell Yusuke I said that." The two girls laughed and Botan continued to talk about Kurama. Keiko humored her friend and listened intently at what she was saying. When Botan finally fell silent Keiko decided to speak up and say "Botan, maybe you should tell Kurama how you feel."

Botan stared at Keiko and looked frightened, she opened her mouth and stammered "Really? You think I should?"

"Yes" Keiko said as she patted Botan's hand as if to comfort and reassure her. "Botan, don't worry everything will turn out fine."

"Thanks Keiko" Botan said "I appreciate your advice."

Botan and Keiko sat in silence for a few minutes until Botan said "I should really get back to Spirit World." She got up and started out the front door, when she was sure no one would see her she summoned her oar and was soon flying through the air. As she flew through the air she found herself lost in thought she was so lost in thought that she almost fell off her oar. She righted herself and breathed a sigh of relief as she landed in front of the palace. She took a deep breath and entered the gates of the castle. As she made her way to her living quarters she thought about what Keiko had told her, 'Maybe I should take a chance and tell him' she thought. She was thinking so hard that she almost ran into a few ogres carrying stacks of papers to Koenma. She decided to pay attention to where she was going and soon found herself in her room.

She decided to relax and walked into the bathroom and started a bubble bath. When the bath was ready she stepped in and as she got comfortable she heaved a sigh of relief. She closed her eyes and once again her thoughts turned back to the time she had spent with Kurama the past couple of days and huge smile spread across her face. She stayed in the bath soaking for a while until the water turned cold, she got out of the bath and dried off and wrapped herself in a towel and padded to her dresser to find her most comfortable pajamas. She got dressed and slid into bed and decided to read.

Meanwhile in human world Kurama was lying on the sofa in his living room with a book in his hand; he wasn't really reading in fact he had been stuck on the same page for the past ten minutes. Suddenly he snapped the book shut and blew his bangs out of his face.

"Why can't I get her out of my head?' he thought.

He opened his book again and tried to read but once more his attention turned back to Botan. He thought about how much he had enjoyed her company and chuckled as he remembered her attempt to at cooking, and how cute she was when she was flustered. He closed his eyes and laid his head back on the pillow and continued to think about the blue haired ferry woman. He soon fell asleep with images of Botan in his dreams.

Botan was confused; she had no idea what she should do about Kurama so she decided to throw herself in her work so she could think about what Keiko had said. 'Maybe spending a few days apart will help me think better' she thought to herself. It was hard for her not to go to Living World to see her friends but she thought it would help her think about what she should do about Kurama.

So she stayed in Spirit World, ferrying souls and listening to her fellow ferry girls talk about their days. Although Botan enjoyed her job ferrying souls she was getting bored spending all of her time in Spirit world, the other ferry girls just didn't understand what she was going through, and even thought she was trying to take her mind off a certain someone she just couldn't stop thinking about Kurama, so she decided instead of trying to forget him she would ask Koenma for some time off, maybe spending some time in Living World would help her make up her mind.

Kurama was rattled. He had never felt this way before, he hadn't seen or heard from Botan in a few days and he didn't like it one bit. He thought about her constantly, he saw her everywhere he went. He brooded over her absence from his life. 'Did I do something wrong?' he thought, 'Maybe I should go talk to her.' With that last thought he decided to go to Spirit World and talk to Botan.

He went to his room to change clothes and soon was headed to Spirit World. While he made his way to the palace he thought about what he might say to Botan when he saw her. He practiced over and over in his head but nothing sounded right. Before he knew it he had arrived at the gate and soon found himself knocking on the door. The doors opened for his and he slowly made his way towards her room. Soon he was standing in front of her door with his raised as if he was going to knock, but instead of knocking he just stood there. His hand fell to his side and he turned to walk away. 'Maybe this was a bad idea' he thought to himself as he quickly turned around and headed towards the front gate.

He turned around when he heard a voice say "Hello Kurama". He looked to see Koenma.

"Hello Koenma, how are you today?" he asked politely.

"I'm well. What brings you here today?" Koenma asked curiously.

"Well I wanted to talk to Botan, but it seems she's not here."

"I'm aware of that, she came to me yesterday and asked to have some time off and I complied" Koenma explained.

"Oh well thanks. I guess I'll be heading back home now" and with that Kurama turned to head back to Nigenkai his shoulders slumped in disappointment. "She did say she would be staying in Human World for a few days" Koenma said as he walked away. Kurama smiled and made his way back home.

'I wonder where she is staying' Kurama thought. 'Maybe I should check with Genkai first.' He made his way to the temple and was disappointed to find that Botan was not there. 'Maybe she decided to see Shizuru' he thought as he made his way to the Kuwabara household to call on the siblings. He was even more disappointed when he found out she wasn't there either.

As he left he heard Shizuru say "Check with Keiko." He smiled at Shizuru and waved as he made his way towards Keiko's house. As he made his way there his face brightened at the thought of seeing Botan again. by the time he got there he was extremely hopeful. He knocked Keiko's door and waited patiently for the door to open. A smile broke out of his face when Keiko answered the door.

"Good afternoon Keiko, how are you?"

"I'm well Kurama. What brings you here today?" Keiko asked.

"Well I came looking for Botan. Is she here?"

"I'm sorry Kurama she's not." His face fell as Keiko told him. Keiko couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Thanks Keiko, see you later" he said sadly as he walked towards home.

'Where could she be?' he thought. He decided to take a walk instead of going home; he needed to clear his head. 'Perhaps I should leave her alone' he thought. He walked and walked and when he came to a stop he looked up at his surroundings; unknowingly he had walked to the park where he had brought Botan earlier in the week. He slowly walked towards the swings where he and Botan had enjoyed a few laughs. He stopped in his tracks when he noticed the blue haired woman sitting on a swing the wind blowing her hair around her face.

"May I join you?" he asked her in a whisper. She jerked her head up to look at him. She hesitated for a moment before answering "yes."

He sat down on the swing beside her and said "Botan is everything ok?" she waited a beat and said "Yes Kurama I just needed to think."

"I understand" he replied. The two continued to swing in silence. Botan soon felt herself being pushed and looked up, amethyst eyes met emerald ones and their breath caught in their throats. He had the sudden urge to lean down and kiss her but refrained; instead he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. She looked at him surprised.

"Botan, I've enjoyed the time we have spent together" he said as his lips left her hand.

"You have?" she said as if to question him.

"Of course, and I would like to spend more time with you if that's alright."

Botan stood up and turned to look at him, she walked around the swing to him. She stood in front of him and looked into his eyes and saw he was being sincere "I would like that very much Kurama" she said. He immediately reached out and pulled her into a hug, the two stayed like that for a few minutes until Botan pulled away.

"Botan would you care to accompany me tomorrow?"

"Where?" she asked.

"It's a surprise" he replied with a grin.

'I can't resist' she thought.

"Yes Kurama I would love to" she said. He leaned down and kissed her forehead and said "Come, I'll walk you back to Keiko's."

"How did you know I was staying at Keiko's?" she asked.

"Lucky guess" he said as he held his arm out so she could take it, and when she did he led her home.

Unbeknownst to the two of them a pair of eyes was watching them as they walked out of the park. The same eyes followed them all the way back to Keiko's house. Neither Kurama nor Botan sensed his presence, and that was on purpose, the shadow masked his energy so he could get close to his prize. He waited until Kurama had left and continued to watch the house just to get a glimpse of her, his beloved.


	3. Chapter 3

Together (rewrite)

Chapter 3

Botan sat in Keiko's room thinking about what Kurama had said. She knew Keiko was talking to her but she wasn't paying the least bit of attention. Keiko asked her a question but Botan didn't hear her. Keiko waited a beat for her friend to answer but she never did.

"Botan!" Keiko yelled.

"What?" Botan cried as she turned to her friend.

"I've been talking to you for the past five minutes and you haven't heard a word I said."

"I'm sorry Keiko; I'm not trying to be rude. I just have something on my mind." Botan explained.

"Does it have anything to do with a certain red head we both know" Keiko said with a wicked grin. Botan's cheeks began to turn pink at her friends teasing.

"If you must know yes; He said he wanted to spend more time with me" Botan told her friend.

"Botan that's wonderful!" Keiko exclaimed as she clapped her hands together.

"Yes, but. . ." Botan started "I'm really nervous" she finished.

"Nervous, why?" said the confused brunette.

"I don't really know Keiko, I just feel nervous" Botan replied. "Didn't you feel nervous around Yusuke at first?"

Keiko thought for a moment and said "Well yes, but the nerves fade away, I promise Botan. "

"Are you sure?" Botan asked.

"Oh Botan if he didn't really like you he wouldn't have asked you to spend time with him. You have nothing to be nervous about. Just enjoy his company." She nodded as her friends advice, Keiko stifled a yawn and said "It's getting late, let's go to bed." Botan nodded and headed to her room to change into her pjs and crawl into bed, she fell asleep with her thoughts once again on Kurama.

Kurama lay awake staring at nothing in particular. He couldn't get to sleep, he was too anxious. He heard a tap on the window and got up to open it. Hiei entered the room and Kurama said "Good evening Hiei what brings you here?"

"I was just in the neighborhood" the dark haired demon replied. Kurama acknowledge him but did not say a word. After a few minutes of silence Hiei spoke up "Kurama you seem preoccupied."

"Hmmm" was his reply.

Hiei smiled and his Jagan eye glowed behind his headband. He looked into Kurama's thoughts and was amused to see that they were focused on a certain blue haired ferry girl.

"Well, well it seems you can't stop thinking about a certain clumsy blue haired woman" he said with a smirk. Kurama turned to glare at his friend and said "Stay out of my head Hiei."

Hiei laughed and replied "You should tell her."

"I can't do that Hiei."

"And why not?" Hiei asked. Kurama glared at his friend but said nothing. After a few moments of silence Kurama looked at Hiei and asked rather snappily "Is there something else you wanted Hiei?"

Hiei smirked again and shook his head and made his way to the window to leave. He sent one last look over his shoulder and saw Kurama once again lost in thought.

'Fox you should tell her' he said to Kurama telepathically as he leaped out the window and disappeared into the night.

A pair of eyes watched closely as Hiei left Kurama's home. He had stayed hidden in the shadows listening intently to Kurama and Hiei's conversation. It was exactly as he thought, the spirit detective was trying to woo his beloved and take her away from him 'I cannot let that happen' he thought as he slipped away quietly into the night.

Botan woke up the next up early the next morning and headed for the kitchen where she could fix herself something warm to drink, she was too nervous to sleep 'I wonder what he has in store for today?' she thought. Keiko entered the kitchen rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Good morning Keiko" Botan said. Keiko replied with a yawn while walking towards the coffee pot. She grabbed a mug poured herself a glass and sat down at the table across from Botan.

"Botan, how long have you been up?"

"A while, I couldn't sleep. I'm too nervous about today" she replied. Keiko stared at her friend and reached over and patted her hand as if to reassure her. Botan looked up at Keiko and smiled. The phone ringing startled them both; they looked at each other surprised.

"Who could be calling this early?" Keiko said as she got up to answer the phone. "Hello" Keiko said, she listened to what the person on the other end and then answered "yes of course" and then looked towards Botan and held the phone out to her and said "It's for you."

Botan got up and walked over and took the phone from Keiko "Hello" she said.

"Good morning Botan" Kurama said.

"Good morning Kurama" she replied. They continued with the pleasantries and then fell silent until Kurama said "Botan I called to ask if you would still like to spend the day with me?"She shook her head in response until she realized he couldn't see her and then whispered "yes."

He said "Great! I'll pick you up in an hour" and with that he hung up. Botan just stood there with the phone in her hand until she heard the dial tone, then she put the phone back on the hook.

Keiko had been listening to the one sided conversation said 'Well?"

"He's coming to pick me up in an hour."

"Well then let's get going, we have to get you ready" Keiko said as she grabbed Botan's hand and dragged her away upstairs to help her ready herself for her day out with Kurama. After Botan was ready Keiko excused herself for a few minutes and then came back into the room. The hour passed by rapidly and soon the doorbell rang. Keiko clapped her hands excitedly and went to answer the door.

"Hello Keiko" said Kurama after she opened the door.

"Good morning Kurama" Keiko replied. "I'll just go and get Botan for you" she said before he could open his mouth to say another word, before she turned to walk away she pointed to a bag that was sitting by the door and he smiled and thanked her. He stood in the living room waiting for Botan. He looked up as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs and what he saw made his heart skip a beat.

"Hello" she said as shifting nervously from one foot to the other.

'She looks very beautiful' he thought.

"Hello" he replied as he offered her his arm "are you ready?" she gulped and moved forward to take his arm as she nodded. He led her to his car where he opened the door to help her in. 'Such a gentleman' she thought. He got in the car and started it up and soon they were on their way. Neither said a word as he drove, she looked out the window and watched the buildings pass by. She was surprised to see they were heading out of the city.

"Kurama where are we going?" she asked. He turned to her and grinned sheepishly and said "You'll just have to wait and see." She fell silent and continued to stare out the window.

"Would you care to listen to some music?" he asked.

"Sure" she said, and he reached over to turn on the radio. He quickly found a station he thought she would like and turned the volume up to a manageable level. He turned back to watch the road as he drove all the while sneaking glances at her. He smiled in amusement as he noticed she was dancing in her seat. He let out a chuckle and she looked at him confused.

"I didn't know you liked Ningen music Botan" he said and she realized she had been caught.

"Well spending time with Keiko has rubbed off on me" she said as she smiled. They both laughed at her comment. Silence followed and he once again turned back to the road. Soon they were pulling off the highway, she could smell salt in the air and assumed they were at the beach, but she wasn;t able to see the water or the beach. He got out of the car and walked around the car and opened her door and helped her out. When she was out of the car he walked towards the trunk and pulled out a basket and what looked like an overnight bag.

He handed her the bag and took her hand and said "Come."


	4. Chapter 4

Together (rewrite)

Chapter 4

She took his hand and followed him down a pathway, soon she heard waves crashing and the ocean came into view. She breathed deeply and looked at Kurama who had let go of her hand. He set down the basket and pulled out a blanket and spread it out on the sand. He motioned for her to sit down and began to unpack their lunch. Once the food was unpacked he looked at her and smiled and said "I hope you like lunch?"

"I'm sure I will Kurama, after all you are a better cook than I am" she replied while chuckling.

The two ate in silence while gazing at their surroundings. She enjoyed the smell of the ocean and how blue the water was. She opened her mouth to comment how peaceful the beach was but before she could speak he said "This place sure is beautiful isn't it?"

"I was thinking the same thing" she said. She met his eyes and in that instant her mouth turned to cotton. His emerald eyes were staring intently at her not wanting to ever stop. He realized he was staring at her and looked away embarrassed. The two continued eating and when they were done he gathered up everything and put it back in his backpack.

He stood up and once again offered her his hand and asked "Are you ready Botan?"

"For what?" she asked.

"To go swimming of course" he replied as she took his hand once more.

"But I don't have a swimsuit" she said.

"Look in the bag" he replied with a wink. She opened the backpack and gasped there inside was not only a swimsuit but a towel. "How did. . ."

"I had a little help from Keiko" he said before she could finish. There's a secluded area over there if you wish to go change. With that she walked away to change, when she came back she was once again met with the sight of a shirtless Kurama. Her eyes widened and she thought 'Oh my'.

He looked at her and was speechless. He had never seen her in a swimsuit before and was pleasantly surprised at her curves. He stared at her until she said "Kurama" and his cheeks flushed red at being caught staring. "I'm sorry Botan, did you say something?"

"Um, it's just. . ." she trailed off. He smiled at her nervousness and began to make his way towards the water. He reached for her arm and said "Come on Botan." He led them both to the water and as soon as the water hit her toes she gasped and said "It's cold!" He laughed and said "It will warm up soon" and with that he walked deeper into the water until it was deep enough for him to dive. Botan slowly followed him and soon she was in waist deep water, she couldn't see Kurama but she knew he was around somewhere. All of a sudden she felt something grab her foot and pull her under. She came back up coughing and glared at Kurama who was laughing. She splashed him in the face and he stopped, he looked at her and began to splash her back. The two continued this game for a while and then suddenly stopped; both had to catch their breath because they were laughing so hard.

Botan moved closer to Kurama but he moved out of her reached before she could push him under. He reached an arm out and pulled her close to him to stop her from pushing him under water. She gasped at the feeling of his arms around her body. He looked at her and saw she was uncomfortable and quickly let her go.

"I'm sorry Botan I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable" he said apologetically.

"It's alright Kurama you just startled me" she whispered. 'Although it did feel good being in his arms' she thought to herself. Kurama dove underwater again and came back up a few yards from her. Botan floated lazily on her back and yelped when she felt arms once again around her waist, this time he said "Gotcha."

She laughed and turned around so she could look at him. His hair was plastered to his face but he still looked gorgeous, she reached up and placed her hands on either side of his face and leaned forward, he thought she might kiss him but was surprised when she dunked him under water. He came up sputtering and expected to see her but instead she had moved away from him. He swam towards her and grabbed her again, this time he was not letting go. This time he leaned forward until his lips were hovering over hers, but he hesitated.

He quickly let her go and moved away from her. He looked at her and asked "Botan, maybe we should head home."

She nodded in response and both swam towards the shore. When they exited the water he noticed she was shivering and quickly moved to drape a towel over her shoulders. She smiled at his actions and thanked him quietly. Once they were dry they put their clothes back on and headed back towards his car.

They rode in silence neither wanting to show how disappointed they both were.

'Stupid' he thought 'you should have kissed her.'

'Did he not want to kiss me? Does that mean de doesn't like me?' she pondered. He reached over and covered her hand with his; she jerked her head to look at him. His hand stayed on hers until they reached Keiko's house. He turned off the car but neither made a move to exit the vehicle until he said "Botan."

She smiled at him and he smiled back at her. She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. He had a sudden urge to lean forward and kiss her but soon the smile on his face turned into a scowl. Botan noticed how quickly his behavior had changed and asked "Is something wrong Kurama?"

"Botan, let's get inside" he said as he pulled away from her and rushed her out of the car and inside the house. He opened the door for her to enter and told her goodnight. As he shut the door behind her he looked around scanning the area for a trace of the evil aura he had just felt.

The shadow smiled, he decided now to make his presence known and was not disappointed when he sensed the fox's energy change. He watched his prey escort the deity inside and look around for the dark presence he had felt. The shadow was gone before the fox could discover where he had hidden. He thought 'Soon Kurama soon I will have what I desire" and with that he disappeared.

Botan lay in bed thinking about what had happened that day. She was sure now more than ever that Kurama did feel something for her and that made her happy. But his behavior at the door was unusual 'What could have caused him to act that way?' she thought 'Maybe I should ask him' and with that she decided she was going to his place and ask him, so quietly got out of bed and tiptoed past Keiko's room and closed the front door as quietly as she could. Once she was outside summoned her oar and flew to Kurama's.

Kurama too lay in bed, normally his thoughts would be on a certain blue haired deity but right now he was trying to figure out to what or who the energy he felt earlier belonged to. He had never felt energy like that before and he was sure it was not friendly. He was so lost in thought he didn't hear the knock on the window. The knocking became more insistent and he snapped out of it and realized what the noise was. He rose to open the window not paying attention to who entered his room he said with his back turned "What do you want Hiei?"

Botan cleared her throat and said his name. His eyebrows rose in surprise and he looked at her and apologized. "Botan, I'm sorry usually Hiei is the only one who comes in through the window. What brings you here Botan, are you alright?"

"Yes, Kurama I'm fine. Are you alright? You seemed rather preoccupied earlier and I wanted to make sure you were fine."

"Yes I'm fine I just thought u sensed something but turns out it was nothing." He continued.

'I don't want to worry her, I need to take care of this problem myself' he thought.

"Kurama" she said again and he once again turned his attention back to the lovely woman standing before him. She reached out and grabbed his hand as a gesture of comfort. He looked down at her hand then back to her face. She had a small smile on her lips. Without a second thought he pulled her body close to his and wrapped her in a hug.

"Thank you Botan" he whispered in her ear. His breath on her skin caused her knees to go weak. Kurama noticed and blew in her ear once again. She gasped and thought 'He's being so forward. What does it mean?'

He realized what he was doing and pulled away from her 'If I continue this I might cross a line I'm not sure I want to cross just yet' he thought.

"Botan tell me, was there something else you wanted to ask me?" he asked her quietly as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

'Yes' she thought but she said "No I just wanted to make sure you were well."

"I appreciate your concern. By the way does Keiko know you're here?" he asked.

She fidgeted and said "I kind of snuck out.'

"I figured as much, it's late would you care to stay here tonight?" he asked not looking at her.

"I'd like that very much" she replied. He looked up at her and said "Then its settled you can sleep in here and I'll take the couch."

She nodded shyly and asked "Kurama would you happen to have some pajamas I could wear?"

"Let me check" and with that he rummaged in his dresser for some old pajamas that might fit her. He found some and handed them to her. He left the room so she could change. He knocked a moment later and heard her say "come in."

He opened the door and smiled at the sight of her; the clothes were big but looked good on her. She turned and saw him looking at her. "I came to grab my book" he said as he walked towards the nightstand.

He grabbed the books and once again made his way to the door, he turned and looked at her one last time and said "goodnight" she replied in kind and with that he shut the door and left her alone. Botan lay down and wrapped herself in the blanket and took a deep breath. She was surrounded by his scent and it was intoxicating. She fell asleep and dreamed of him.

Meanwhile on the couch Kurama attempted to read but couldn't focus, all he could think about was the beauty who lay upstairs in his bed. He wanted nothing more than to return upstairs and hug her again. He smiled as he remembered her reaction as he whispered in her ear 'Maybe Hiei is right, maybe I do have romantic feelings for her.'

'Why not just go upstairs and take her?' the deep voice of Yoko said in his head.

'I cannot do that' Kurama replied.

'And why not? It's obvious she feels something for you' Yoko countered.

'I don't know that for sure' Kurama said.

'Well then ask her' Yoko coaxed.

'I cannot' Kurama replied and with that statement Yoko's voice had subsided 'Maybe Yoko's right, she did seem to enjoy being in my arms.' He blew his bangs out of his face and decided to try and sleep. He slept fitfully; in his dreams he was chasing after a shadow, a shadow that threatened him and a certain ferry girl. As he caught up to the mysterious shadow he could see that the enemy was not alone in his arms was an unconscious Botan. Kurama flew into a rage and pulled out a rose and transformed it into a whip before he could bring the whip down upon the enemy he woke up in a cold sweat. His breathing was ragged and he took a series of deep breathes to calm himself down to slow his racing heart.

He looked at the clock and saw it was still early, he decided to get up and take a shower to wash away the dream. He slid off the couch and tiptoed towards the bathroom as not to wake Botan. He turned on the shower and while he waited for the water to warm up he brushed his teeth. He couldn't help but think about the strange dream he had. 'What does it mean?'

Once he was sure the water was warm enough he shed his sweat soaked clothes and stepped into the shower. He sighed as the water hit his face. The dream faded as he relaxed under the spray. He washed his hair and scrubbed the sweat from his body and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed a towel and began to dry off. He wrapped the towel around his waist when he realized he had no clean clothes to change into.

'I guess I'll have to wait until Botan wakes up to get dressed' he thought and with that he made his way to the kitchen to make some breakfast. Botan awoke to the sounds of pots and pans. She rubbed her eyes and sniffed the air 'Something smells wonderful' she thought. She got up and made her way downstairs. She yawned as she stepped into the kitchen and stopped in her tracks. There was Kurama making breakfast wearing nothing but a towel. 'Oh my' she thought as her jaw dropped. He turned when he felt her presence and saw her with her mouth agape and her cheeks flushed.

She snapped out of her daydream when he asked "Did you sleep well?" she waited a moment before responding "Yes, thank you."

"Have a seat and I'll fix you a plate" he said and she obeyed. She couldn't help but stare at him; she longed to reach out and touch his skin and stroke his wet hair. He set a plate down in front of her and said "I hope you like it."

He sat across from her and watched her, she made no move to begin eating, and she just stared at his bare chest. He looked at her wondering why she wasn't eating until he remembered his state of undress. "Please excuse me" he said as he left the kitchen and made his way to his room to get dressed. He returned a few minutes later wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He noticed she had nearly cleaned her plate while he was gone. Before he joined her at the table he made himself a plate and once again sat across from her. They ate in silence. When she finished she took her plate and placed it in the sink and then started cleaning up.

"Botan you don't have to do that" he said as he started to stand.

"It's the least I can do" she replied as she placed a hand on his shoulder to force him to sit back down. He watched her as she cleaned. He enjoyed the view of her wiggling his hips as she washed the dishes as if she was dancing to some unheard music.

Suddenly he had an idea "Botan I appreciate you help, but I do have to run some errands. I would like to see you later tonight if that's alright."

She agreed and both made their way to the door. He waved to her as he got in his car and she started to walk back towards Keiko's. The rest of the morning passed slowly for Botan she couldn't help but wonder what Kurama had in store for her 'Why does he have to be so secretive?' she thought.

"Botan" she turned as Keiko said her name.

"Yes Keiko" she replied.

"Would you care to go shopping with me?' Keiko asked her friend. Botan perked up and nodded her head yes. The two girls were off and soon found themselves at the mall.

"So Keiko is there anything in particular you were looking for?"

"Well actually I brought you here to find some clothes for you" Keiko replied. Botan was stunned "What do you mean, what's wrong with my clothes? Do you not like them?" she asked her friend while looking down at what she was wearing.

"No Botan that's not it I just figured you could use some different clothes; you are going to need something to wear on your date tonight with Kurama."

"How did you know we had a date?" Botan asked. Keiko laughed and said "You were mumbling about it under your breathe."

Botan looked at her friend and quietly said "Oh" and with that Keiko dragged her friend away. Several hours later the girls made their way back to the car both laden down with shopping bags. They were exhausted form shopping and when they got home they decided a nap would be a good idea. Keiko awoke an hour later to the phone ringing she ran to pick it up before the machine could.

"Hello"

"Hello Keiko, did everything go well?"

"Yes Kurama it did, she's all set for tonight"

"Great, I can't thank you enough for all your help Keiko" and with that he hung up.

'Don't thank me until you see the outfit I picked out for her to wear tonight' though Keiko slyly. She went upstairs to Botan's room and shook her awake. "Botan you should get up and start getting ready, Kurama will be here soon."

Botan groaned and put the pillow over her head. Keiko sighed at her friends behavior "Botan don't you want to see Kurama?" At the sound of his name her eyes snapped open and she shot out of bed. "That's right Kurama did want to see me tonight" Botan said and with that she ran to get into the shower.


	5. Chapter 5

Together (rewrite)

Chapter 5

Botan could hardly contain her excitement. She did a happy dance as she stepped out of the shower, and wrapped herself in a towel and began to blow dry her hair. Once her hair was dry she made her way to Keiko's room where she asked her to help her get ready.

An hour later, Botan looked in the mirror and smiled. Keiko had curled her hair and had applied simple makeup to her eyes. She looked great, "Keiko what should I wear?" she asked.

'Well if you ask me I think you should wear this" she said as she held up a dress.

Botan raised her eyebrows in surprise "Are you sure, what if it's too much for what he has planned?"

"No Botan I think its perfect". Botan shrugged and put on the dress Keiko pointed out; once she was dressed she looked in the mirror and was pleasantly surprised.

'Keiko's right this dress will be perfect" she thought.

"Kurama's going to die when he sees you" Keiko said. Botan smiled at her friends compliment. At that moment the doorbell rang, "I'll get it Keiko" Botan said as she ran downstairs to greet her date. She took a deep breath before opening the door.

Kurama stood outside Keiko's house waiting for an answer. He nervously played with his keys and looked up when he heard the door open. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped when he saw her. She was stunning in a skin tight knee length purple strapless dress. The bodice had tiny sequins that reflected the light. The dress molded to her curves accentuating her bosom and her behind.

He heard her asking him a question and moved his eyes from her body to her face "I'm sorry what were you saying?" he asked.

She giggled and said "I asked if you liked the dress."

"Very much so, I'll have to thank Keiko later"

"What do you mean?" she asked. He smiled slyly and replied "Well I asked Keiko to take you shopping."

Just then Yoko's voice sounded in his head and said "If she looks that great in the dress, imagine what she'll look like out of it."

"Shush" Kurama replied silently and with that Yoko's voice subsided.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked and she said yes, and with that she grabbed her purse and they left. He opened the car door for her and then settled in the driver's seat. He started the car and they were off.

"Are you going to tell me where we are going?" she asked quietly.

"No, but I will tell you that dress is perfect for what I have in store" he said as he winked at her. She smiled and her cheeks turned pink. They rode in silence the rest of the way. Soon they were pulling into a parking space next to the sidewalk.

"We'll have to walk the rest of the way" he said as he got out and walked around to help her out of the car. Once she was out of the car he held his arm out for her to take, once her arm was in his they began walking towards their destination. Soon a neon sign came into view and she realized what they surprise was.

"Kurama" she couldn't finish her sentence she was so excited.

'How did he know I love dancing' she thought.

"It was a lucky guess" Kurama said as if he knew what was going through her mind.

"This is a wonderful surprise" she replied as she hugged him tightly. He relished in the feeling of her body pressed against his and was disappointed when she pulled away. They smiled at each other until he said "Shall we?"

They entered the club and found themselves engulfed in bodies. Her eyes were alight with excitement. She grabbed his hand and led him to an open spot on the dance floor. She didn't hesitate to start moving her body to the music. He was mesmerized by her movements; it wasn't until she looked at him that he realized he was not moving. The music continued and soon a light sheen of sweat coated her body. The music began to slow down and he wrapped his arms around her waist while she put hers around his neck. The two moved in sync. Purple eyes met emerald and the rest of the world fell away.

She tilted her face upward and he leaned closer to her. His lips once again hovered above hers, but this time he didn't hesitate, he gently placed his lips on hers in a chaste kiss. She sighed as his lips finally met hers, but before the kiss could deepen he pulled away. She looked at him confused.

'That presence, I've felt that energy before' he thought.

"Botan, I think we should leave" he said as he began to look around searching for where the sinister energy was coming from. As they made their way to the exit he finally zeroed in on the owner of the strange presence. 'This is the one' Kurama thought as he sized up the would be enemy. He was tall, and surprisingly plain looking he had short brown hair but what stood out were his eyes, they were a deep crimson and were very cold. Kurama sent out a wave of energy towards him as a warning. The man looked directly into Kurama's eyes and smiled wickedly and then disappeared.

"Kurama, are you alright?" Botan asked when they finally made their way outside.

"Yes Botan I just felt something a little unnerving."

"I'm sorry Botan, are you disappointed?"

"No in fact I had a wonderful time."

He smiled at her and said "That was my intention."

"Kurama" he gazed into her eyes as she spoke his name and was surprised when she raised her arm to touch his cheek. Her touch was feather like; her skin was soft against his. She began to move her hand so she could run her fingers through his beautiful hair. He snaked a hand out to wrap it around her waist to pull her closer. His other hand made its way to her chin and tilted her face up so he could lower his lips to hers once again. The kiss lasted only a moment but the moment he lowered his lips to hers she knew.

As they broke apart they once again gazed into each other's eyes. He spoke first "Botan I want you to know that you are special to me."

"Oh Kurama you are special to me too."

They once again smiled at each other and made their way back to the car. He held her hand the entire drive back to Keiko's house. He walked her to the door and said goodnight and kissed her hand, she bid him goodnight as well and went inside. She leaned against the door and sighed as she thought about the feeling of his lips on hers, she made her way upstairs and shed her clothes and climbed into bed her thoughts never straying from Kurama.

Little did Botan know the evil presence from the club had shadowed them all the way home. He stood outside the house looking up at the window that was in Botan's room.

'Soon my dear, you will be all mine' he thought as he disappeared.

The shadow stood outside the house where Botan slept for a few more minutes then he slowly walked away. He grinned as he thought back to how Kurama had responded to his presence. His plan was going exactly how the thought it would.

**With Kurama**

Kurama sat at his desk staring into space; his thoughts were on the strange man that had ruined his evening with Botan. He decided the best way to deal with an unknown enemy would be to enlist some help. He sent a telepathic message to Hiei asking him to meet him tomorrow morning in the park. He decided to try and get some sleep after all he had to get up early if he wanted to meet his friend.

He woke up at the break of dawn and got dressed. He fixed himself a quick breakfast and left home to head to the park where he was to meet Hiei. When he arrived the park was deserted, he made his way to a park bench and sat down to wait for his friend to arrive. It didn't take long; soon Kurama saw a black blur making its way through the trees. Hiei landed softly next to where Kurama was sitting and said "Well fox why am I here?"

"It's nice to see you too Hiei" he replied. Hiei sat and grunted in response. Kurama began to explain what had happened the night before. Hiei listened intently and asked "What do you need me for?"

"Well I would like your help in trying to find out who this person is and what they want." Kurama stated.

Hiei nodded and said "Mmmm."The two of them sat in silence for a moment until Hiei spoke up and said "Well Kurama, have you told the onna how you feel?"

Kurama looked at his friend and said "Why the sudden interest Hiei?"

Hiei just looked at Kurama and chuckled, he didn't bother replying Kurama knew why he was goading him, and he had never seen the fox so unnerved by a woman much less a ferry girl. The two continued to site on the bench until Hiei started to notice people entering the park he decided to take off saying "Ningens" under his breath and soon a black blur could be seen moving once more through the trees.

Kurama stood up and stretched before he began to walk towards home. He was halfway there when he decided to go see Botan. It was still early and he didn't want to wake Keiko so he decided to go through the window, after all Botan uses his window more that his front door. He used his rose whip to hoist himself up. Once he was outside her window he peeked in and saw her sleeping form. He smiled and knocked until he saw her stir. She sat up and looked drowsily in the direction of the noise. Her gaze finally landed on the window and she smiled when she saw the red head waiting for her. She wrapped the sheet around herself and got up to open the window for him.

"Kurama" she said sleepily.

"Good morning" he said "did you sleep well?"

"Uh huh, what time is it?" she replied.

"Early, I'm sorry I should have known you would still be sleeping" he said.

"No it's alright, come in" she said as she stepped aside so he could enter her room.

She folded her arms across her chest and stood there waiting for him to speak. "I enjoyed last night" he finally said. She nodded in response and looked down and realized she was just wearing the sheet. He took notice as well and said "I guess I should give you some privacy. I'll just go wait in the kitchen" and with that he left the room.

She entered the kitchen a few minutes later wearing a pair of loose fitting pants and an oversized t-shirt. "Kurama did we have plans today that I forgot about?" she asked with a yawn.

"No I just wanted to see you "he replied and she looked at him and grinned.

"Would you like some coffee?" she asked as she stood up and walked to the coffee maker to start a pot.

"Sure" he said as he watched her as she moved around the kitchen. She could feel his eyes on her but didn't say a word she liked the attention he was giving her. She soon came back to the table and set a glass in front of him.

"So Botan you never told me how long you will be staying with Keiko" he said as he took a sip of coffee.

"A couple more weeks" she replied as she took a sip of coffee.

'Wonderful, that means I still have time to spend with her' Kurama thought.

"Kurama, I had a really nice time last night" she said as he reached out and touched her hand. He brought her hand to his lips and said "I'm glad." He stood up and walked around the table and pulled her out of her chair. He wrapped his arms around her and started to sway back and forth. They stayed in each other's arms until they heard someone clear their throat. They both turned to see Keiko standing in the doorway staring at them. He dropped his arms and she stepped away from him.

"Good morning Keiko" he said and she replied in kind.

"Am I interrupting something?' Keiko said sheepishly and Botan glared at her. Kurama just stood there looking embarrassed. Keiko grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee and walked out of the kitchen leaving them alone once again.

'Why can't we ever be alone?' Botan thought.

"Kurama, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Anything" he said.

"Would it be alright if we spent the day at your house?" she asked.

"Anything you want" he replied. With that she ran upstairs to change into something else and they left. Once they arrived at his house he turned to her and asked "Botan what would you like to do?"

"Don't laugh, but I was wondering if you could teach me how to cook" she said while looking at the ground.

"I would love nothing more" and with that he grabbed her hand and led her to the kitchen.

"What would you like to learn to make?"

"Anything you want to teach me" she replied. He nodded and began to gather what he needed. An hour later the two sat at the kitchen table and surveyed the mess. There was batter everywhere and she had flour in her hair and he had frosting splattered all over his face.

"I'm sorry I got batter everywhere" she said.

"It's alright Botan, by the way you have flour in your hair" he said pointing to her head. She reached over and scraped some frosting off his face with her finger and licked it. "This is good" she said. He laughed and grabbed a towel to wipe the rest of the frosting off his face.

"Botan maybe we should start to clean up" he said.

"Ok" she replied and with that she started to wipe down the counter. He watched her for a moment and got an idea; he scooped up some batter and threw it at her back. She gasped as it hit her and turned to him surprised. She couldn't believe what he just did. She said "oh you are so going to get it" and scooped up some batter and flung it at his, it hit him square in the face.

He said "so it's a war you want" and with that the two had an epic batter war. Twenty minutes later the two could be seen sitting on the floor laughing hysterically.

"Well that was fun" she said as she looked at him.

"Yes it was' he agreed. He stood up and said "Let's clean up and grab some food" she nodded and stood up as well. Once they had cleaned the kitchen he decided to take a shower to get the batter out of his hair.

"Botan make yourself at home" he said as he made his way to the bathroom. She walked to the living room and started looking around at some of the pictures he had around the room. Most were of him and his mother which made her smile. She stopped as her eyes landed on a small picture of her. She picked it up and stared at it. Just then he came back into the room dressed and towel drying his hair. She turned and asked "Why do you have a picture of me?"

He stopped in his tracks and said "Well because I wanted to be able to see you when you weren't around" he replied shyly.

"Really?" she said.

"Yes" was all he said. Both spoke for a minute and then he looked at her and said "If you would like to take a shower feel free."

She nodded and set the picture down and made her way to the bathroom. She turned on the shower and shed her clothes and stepped in. she couldn't help but think about what he said as she washed the batter and flour from her hair. She smiled as she thought back to what he had said.

'Maybe he really does love me' she thought but then frowned 'if so then why is he so afraid to tell me?'

Meanwhile downstairs Kurama stared at the photo of her and berated himself for being a coward, the deep voice of Yoko spoke from his subconscious and said "Just tell her." Kurama ignored the voice and got up to put the picture back where it went. He thought about what Yoko had said and realized he was right.

He spun around as he felt her presence, she was beautiful her with her wet hair cascading down her back. He walked over to her and pulled her close and began to lower his lips to hers when a beeping sound made him stop.

"Oh, excuse me" she said as she pulled away and reached into her pocket and pulled out a small compact. She opened it and said "Yes Koenma" and began to make her way to the kitchen to take the call in private. Kurama could hear her arguing with the young lord to no avail.

She returned and had a look of utter disappointment on her face. "Kurama I have to leave, Koenma needs me" she said sadly.

"How long will you be gone?" he asked.

"He didn't say" she replied. She walked over to him and gave him a hug and thanked him. She made her way to the door and summoned her oar and waved as she flew away. He waved back and when he could no longer see her he went back inside and closed the door.


	6. Chapter 6

Together (rewrite)

Chapter 6

Botan landed softly outside Koenma's palace and took a deep breath before opening the gates. She walked towards Koenma's office acknowledging the greetings she received from the ogres and other ferry girls. She soon found herself standing outside his doors and knocked lightly and let herself in.

"Koenma sir you called for me" she said.

"Yes, hello Botan. I'm sorry I had to cut your vacation short but I need my best girl on this case."

"What do you mean case, what's going on?" she asked.

"Well I received some disturbing news; it seems there have been a series of class C demon sightings in human world. I need you to gather Yusuke and the others and find these demons and bring them here so we can question them about how they got past the barrier."

"Alright Koenma, I'll head back to human world and give them the details" and with that she left to head back to inform the detectives. All the way back to Living World she thought about what Koenma had told her and she decided to find Yusuke and Kuwabara first. She found them walking with Keiko heading towards the movie theatre. "Yusuke" Botan called out as she ran towards them.

"Hey Botan" said Kuwabara "long time no see."

"What have you been up to Botan?' asked Yusuke.

Keiko giggled and before Botan could answer she said "She's been spending a lot of time with Kurama."

"Is that so" started Yusuke but Botan cut him off "Ok, ok there will be plenty of time later to talk about that but right now I have to talk to you about a new case."

And with that the two detectives perked up while Keiko groaned. "Well before I get down to the nitty gritty we should really find Kurama and Hiei so I only have to explain this once."

Keiko said "I'll leave you guys to it then" and turned to Yusuke and gave him a quick peck on the cheek and walked away. Botan waved goodbye to her friend and the three made their way to Kurama's house. Kuwabara continued to pepper Botan with question all the way there. Finally Yusuke told him to pipe down that they would find out more information soon enough.

When they had finally arrived at Kurama's Yusuke pounded on the door and said "Hey Kurama open up" Botan just shook her head and Kuwabara said "Urameshi show some manners."

Yusuke once again raised his hand to pound on the door when it swung open. "Hello Yusuke, Kuwabara. Hello again Botan" Kurama said as he stepped aside for them to enter the house. Yusuke and Kuwabara shot looks Botan's way, she chose to ignore them.

"Let's go to the kitchen" he said as after they had all entered. The two teens started walking towards the kitchen and left Kurama standing there with Botan. He quickly grabbed her hand and gave it a quick kiss before leading her to where the others were waiting.

"Where's the shrimp?' Kuwabara asked Kurama as he stepped into the room.

"Well since I was unaware you were coming I didn't know his presence was required' Kurama replied. "Let me send him a quick message" he continued and sent Hiei a telepathic message asking him to join them at his house as soon as possible. While they waited for Hiei's arrival Kurama began to make some tea and set out some snacks. Soon there was a knock on the front door and Kurama left to answer it.

"Welcome Hiei, thanks for coming on such short notice and thanks for using the front door."

Hiei replied with a grunt. The two walked towards the kitchen. When they entered neither was surprised to see Yusuke and Kuwabara shouting insults at each other as they wrestled on the floor.

"Ningens" Hiei said as he sat down at the table.

"Gentlemen can we get back to the task at hand?" Kurama said trying to keep calm as the two detectives continued their bickering.

"Knock it off you two!" yelled Botan.

The two teens looked at her surprised and got off the floor and sat down once again at the table. Hiei and Kurama chuckled, as everyone settled in Botan began to outline the details of the case for them, she told them what Koenma had told her.

Meanwhile outside. . . . .

Unbeknownst to the Spirit Detectives there was someone watching them from the shadows. He was also listening in on their meeting. He laughed to himself and thought 'Everything is going according to plan'.

The shadow walked away content that he could continue on with his plan. He walked slowly to a deserted alleyway and bent down. Once he was sure no one was watching his eyes began to glow a darker crimson and suddenly a door appeared on the ground. He slowly opened the door and stepped into the darkness.

After Botan has finished telling the gang what she knew about the case she got quiet while the others sat around and thought about the best course of action.

Well actually Kurama thought about how they should handle the situation while Yusuke and Kuwabara once again started arguing while Hiei just sat in a corner mumbling insults under his breath. As the argument between the two teens grew more heated Kurama began to lose his concentration. He was beginning to get frustrated. Finally he had had it; he raised his voice and shouted "Enough!" as he used some plants to pull the two boys apart. Everyone just stared at him for a second; they never heard Kurama raise his voice and had never seen him loose his cool at such a thing as Yusuke and Kuwabara's fighting. The boys got up off the floor and sat back down at the table and waited for Kurama to speak again.

"Now if you two are done bickering lets come up with a plan for how we intend to round up these demons" said Kurama coolly after he had regained his composure.

"I was thinking Hiei and I could do some reconnaissance in Makai while you three round up the demons in human world and take them to Koenma" Kurama explained as he pointed to Yusuke, Kuwabara and Botan.

Everyone nodded in agreement. They sat for a while longer discussing the case and when they should get started until Yusuke saw what time it was and jumped out of his chair "Damn, sorry guys I got to go Keiko's waiting for me" and with that he rushed out the door. Kuwabara stood up and stretched and said "Yeah I better get going as well or Shizuru will kick my butt" and with that he left as well.

Botan looked expectantly at Kurama when Hiei once again cleared his throat. Kurama glared at him and said telepathically "_Do you mind?"_

Hiei laughed and replied _"Make a move soon fox" _and with that he was gone.

"Just like old times" Kurama said when they were finally alone once more. She laughed in agreement. He walked to the table and began cleaning up. She helped him and in a few minutes it was as if he hadn't had any company at all.

They headed to the living room and sat on the sofa. Instead of sitting next to each other they sat on opposite ends. They looked at each other and started to scoot closer. He reached out and took her hand and she looked him in the eyes.

'His touch feels so nice' she thought.

He reached out with his other hand and began to stroke her hand which she had neglected to put back into a ponytail. She loved the feeling of him playing with her hair. She reached out and placed a hand on his cheek and he once again pulled her so her body could rest against his. He leaned her back so her back was resting against the arm of the couch and hovered over her. He began to look at her longingly.

She whispered his name sweetly and held her breath as he moved slowly to press a tender kiss to her lips. The kiss was short and he pulled away to look at her as if to ask permission. The look in her eyes said it all. He wasted no time at all in kissing her again. The kisses were short and sweet but held a hint of desire. They continued like that until the sound of the phone ringing startled them both.

He sighed and got up to answer it. She could hear him say "yes of course" and hung up. "Botan" he said as he came back into the room "That was my mother, she wants to me to come for dinner. Would you care to join me?" he asked. She agreed and stood up so they could leave.

They couldn't help but think about how every time they seemed to have a moment alone someone or something interrupted. They both thought at the same time 'When will we finally have some time alone?'

Kurama and Botan walked out of the house and made their way to his car. He held the door for her and when she was settled he walked around and got in and started the car. They chatted idly as he drove to his mother's house. When they had arrived he waited a beat before turning off the car, he looked over and said her name and once she looked at him he said "Thank you for accompanying me tonight and remember I'm Shuichi here."

"Right" she said as she opened the door and stepped out of the car. He offered her his arm as they walked to the front door. His arm dropped to his side as he knocked and waited for an answer. The door opened to reveal a smiling Shiori "Hello Shuichi" she said as she pulled him in for a hug.

"Hello mother" he said as she released him "I hope you don't mind but I invited a friend to join us" and with that he stepped aside to reveal Botan standing behind him.

"Mother you remember Botan, don't you?" he said.

"Of course, it's good to see you again dear."

"Good to see you too Shiori-san" Botan replied.

Kurama moved aside to allow Botan to pass by him and enter the house first. They made their way to the living room to chat before dinner was ready. Shiori sat down in the chair across from them and asked "So Botan how long have you and Kurama been seeing each other?"

Kurama paled and cried "Mother!"

Botan flushed and Shiori laughed. At that moment Kurama's stepfather Kazuya entered the room and asked what was so funny.

Shiori said "Oh nothing just Shuichi being embarrassed by his mother." Then Kurama's stepbrother little Shuuichi came bounding in the room and cried "Shuichi's home!"

"Hello Shuuichi how have you been?" Kurama asked his stepbrother.

"Fine" he answered "Brother who's the pretty lady?"

Botan's cheeks once again turned red and introduced herself. She was hammered with questions for the next few minutes until Kurama's stepfather said "Shuuichi that's enough give her some room to breathe."

"Alright father" he said as he sat down on the floor.

"So Shuichi how is school going?" Kazuya asked.

"Great, I really enjoy college it's more challenging than high school but I do stay busy with homework and projects.

"So Botan what do you do? Are you a student as well?" Shiori asked. Botan was caught by surprise at the question.

"Well I. . . ." she began.

Kurama spoke up and said "Botan works full time right now, she's kind of a delivery person" and patted her hand as if to help her calm her nerves.

"Oh, sounds fun" Shiori said.

"Oh yes I enjoy it immensely. I get to travel a lot" Botan said as she grasped Kurama' s hand to keep him from removing it from hers. Shiori saw this and smiled, she was sure her son had finally found a girlfriend but was just too shy to admit it.

Shiori got up and said "Please excuse me I have to check on dinner."

When she was out of the room little Shuuichi turned to Botan once more and asked "So Botan do you and my brother kiss?"

"Shuuichi!" Kurama and Kazuya cried at the same time.

"I'm sorry Botan" said Kazuya.

"It's alright Hatanaka-san" Botan replied as she tried to stifle a grin.

Kurama couldn't be more mortified. Before little Shuuichi could embarrass Kurama further Shiori re-entered the room and announced that dinner was ready.

Everyone stood up and made their way to the dining room, Kazuya led the way followed closely by Shuuichi, then Botan and lastly Kurama who followed behind her with his hand on the small of her back. They made their way to their seats and Kurama pulled out her chair for her before he sat down. Shiori saw this and shot a glance at her husband a glance that Kurama caught 'She's up to something' he thought as he sat down.

Everyone began to pass around the food and once their plates were full they began eating. Botan said "Shiori-san this food is wonderful."

"I'm glad you like it Botan, you should come over more often" Shiori said.

"Thank you Shiori-san, I would love to" she replied.

"So Botan have you and Shuichi been spending a lot of time together?" his mother asked.

Botan glanced at Kurama before replying "Yes we have, actually he's been attempting to teach me to cook but I'm afraid I'm a miserable failure."

Kurama spoke up and said "Oh Botan you just need a little more practice."

"Well if you are willing to teach me then I will be willing to give it another try" she said and laughed as she nudged his shoulder.

Shiori and Kazuya smiled as they witnessed the affection between the two and little Shuuichi just rolled his eyes. Everyone fell silent and Kurama and Botan stopped looking at each other and realized everyone was staring at them. Dinner continued in silence for a few minutes until Kurama spoke "So father how is work?"

Kazuya answered and soon the two were engrossed in a discussion about the details of his business. "Shuichi, I could really use someone like you to help out around the office. Are you sure you won't reconsider and come and work for me?"

Kurama smiled and said politely "Thank you again for the offer but I really need to focus on my studies right now."

"Alright if you say so, but one of these days I will wear you down" Kazuya replied.

"Enough talk about business" Shiori said as she began to clear the plates seeing as everyone had finished dinner.

"Let me help you Shiori-san" Botan said as she stood up to help clear the dishes as well.

"Thank you dear" Shiori replied.

Kazuya stood up and both Shuichi's followed suit and left them alone. When the men had left the room Shiori turned to Botan and asked "So dear have you told my son how you feel about him?"

Botan almost dropped the plate she was holding and gaped at her. She shook her head in response.

"Oh dear you really should, it's obvious you two have feelings for each other. You shouldn't be scared to let them out."

Botan smiled at Shiori and said "Thanks Shiori-san I'll think about it."

In the living room the men had begun a game of Renju (a traditional Japanese board game). Kazuya waited until Kurama had made his move and said "So Shuichi have you told Botan how you feel about her?"

Kurama almost choked on his drink, he coughed and looked at his stepfather with wide eyes and said "Well no, not yet."

"Well what are you waiting for? It's obvious she feels the same for you as you do for her."

"How can you tell?" Kurama asked.

Kazuya chuckled and looked at his stepson and said "Her eyes son" and with that he turned back to the game. Kurama considered this for a moment and then turned his attention back to the game. The game continued until the women entered the room. Kazuya began to put the game away and they all started chatting again. Botan sat next to Kurama on the couch while Shiori sat in the chair and Kazuya sat on the arm with his hand on his wife's arm.

Kurama moved to put his arm around Botan's shoulders and she leaned into him without thinking. Shiori and Kazuya smiled at them. Suddenly the mood turned when Kurama felt a familiar yet alarming energy.

'He's here' he thought as his body tensed.

Botan noticed and asked him if he was alright. He nodded and said "Yes, I just realized it's getting late and I should really be getting Botan home. "

With that they stood up and moved to the front door. Shiori looked sat but got up and hugged her son and told him goodnight. Botan was surprised when Shiori hugged her and whispered "Come back anytime dear". Botan nodded and they left.

Once they were in the car Botan turned to him and asked "Is everything alright? Did something happen?"

He looked at her and reached for her hand and said "Yes everything is fine but I sensed something strange and I would rather not involve my mother."

"Oh" she said as he started the car and headed home. He started driving to his house and Botan looked at him confused and asked "Kurama aren't you going to take me back to Keiko's?"

"No" he replied.

She looked at him quizzically and he continued "Botan I would feel more comfortable if you stayed at my house tonight. This feeling I got earlier has me a little unnerved."

'If you insist" she said and turned so he couldn't see her smile.

Little did the two of them know they were being followed. The shadow pursued them all the way to his house and stayed outside watching, he continued watched them well into the night. He disappeared before sunrise laughing maniacally.


	7. Chapter 7

Together (rewrite)

Chapter 7

Botan woke up the next morning to an annoying beeping sound. She rolled over and started searching the nightstand for the thing that was making the noise. Her hand closed around her compact and she sighed and opened it and said "Hello Koenma."

"Good morning Botan, did I wake you?"

"Yes Koenma but it's alright."

"Botan, I need you to come back to Spirit World as soon as possible" and with that Koenma hung up. Botan sighed and rolled out of bed. She looked around and remembered she had stayed the night at Kurama's. She quickly got dressed and tiptoed downstairs to leave him a note saying she had to leave but would return as soon as she was done. With the she took off and headed back to Spirit World.

Kurama woke up to the sound of the door closing; he had once again slept on the couch while Botan took in the bed. He looked around and his eyes landed on a piece of paper, he got up and picked it up and read it. He was disappointed that she had been called back to Spirit World. He decided to take a shower and get ready for her return.

Botan arrived in Spirit World without trouble and soon found herself in Koenma's office. She cleared her throat and the young prince looked up at her and said "Hello Botan, thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Yes, Koenma, what did you need me for?'

"Well Botan I need you to give something to Yusuke for me, something that might help with the case."

"What is it?"

"Well you remember the spyglass? Well the item is kind of like that but altered so that it may be easier to catch the demons that are finding their way into Human World."

"Alright Koenma, I will. May I go now?"

"Yes" and with that she turned to leave but looked back at Koenma when he said her name. "Botan be careful I have a bad feeling about his one."

"I will Koenma" and she left and closed the door behind her. She made her way to her room; she needed to gather a few things before heading back to Ningenkai. She went to her closet and pulled out a suitcase and began to pack some essentials. Once she was done packing she yawned. She looked longingly at her bed and decided to lie down for a few more minutes before heading back to Kurama's. A few minutes turned into hours, and soon it was afternoon.

Kurama was getting restless, Botan had been gone all day and he was getting bored. He sat at the table drumming his fingers while sipping a glass of tea. Finally he could take it no longer he decided to go to Spirit World and bring her home. He left and made his way to the nearest portal that would lead him to Rekai.

When he arrived at the palace he made his way to Botan's room. He stood outside the door feeling nervous. He knocked and waited but there was no answer, he knocked a second time and still there was no reply. He decided to open her door and see if she indeed was there. He opened the door and poked his head in and looked around. He couldn't see much so he decided to enter her room and look for her. He gazed around the room and found it looked just like her.

He was surprised when he saw photos of the whole gang on a bookshelf. He said her name but there was no reply. He looked around some more and his gaze fell on the bed. He saw a lump under the covers and realized she was asleep. He chuckled at her and decided to wake her up. He slowly and gently sat on the bed and whispered her name, she didn't stir.

He started to shake her and still nothing. He got an idea and leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead and she sighed, she didn't open her eyes so he decided to be playful and started to press kisses all over her face. She giggled and opened her eyes and gasped when she came face to face with Kurama.

"Good morning" he said.

She stuttered out a greeting and then asked "What are you doing here?"

"Well I got tired of waiting around for you to return so I decided to come and get you" he waited a beat before continuing "Would you rather stay here?"

She quickly said "No Kurama I'm sorry I was just really tired and I thought I would sleep some more before coming back."

He smiled and said "Oh". Neither spoke again for a few moments they just sat there smiling at one another until he leaned forward and brought his lips closer to hers but before he could bring them down there was a knock on the door.

He moved away from her and she let out an exasperated sigh. She threw the covers off and stomped to the door and threw it open and shouted "What?"

Kurama heard her lower her voice to a whisper and begin to discuss something in rather hushed tones. She returned a few minutes later blushing.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"Oh nothing important just some of the other ferry girls being childish" she replied. He stood up and said "Well shall we go?" she nodded and grabbed her bag. He took it from her like the gentleman he was and they were off.

When they were outside the palace she summoned her oar and they both climbed on. They flew in silence and once the crossed through the portal she landed and they started walking. He decided to take a risk and grabbed her hand, she looked down and then up at him surprised. She didn't pull her hand away in fact she squeezed his in reassurance. They continued walking hand in hand towards Kurama's house talking about their plans for that night. They rounded the corner and his house came into view. They started up the walk to the front door and he immediately let go of her hand when they saw Yusuke, Kuwabara and Keiko waiting outside. Yusuke had his hand raised like he was about to knock.

She couldn't help but feel sad at his action but tried not to let it show on her face. However Keiko did notice and once everyone was inside she pulled Botan to the side and asked her about it.

"Botan are you alright?"

"Yes Keiko, I'm just frustrated right now, it seems every time we get a little time alone we get interrupted."

"Don't worry too much Botan, soon things will change. Just have patience."

While the girls were off in the other room the boys sat and discussed the case Koenma had given them. Before their discussion got too involved the girls came back into the room. Yusuke smiled at Keiko and she blew him a kiss; while Kurama stared adoringly at Botan, who walked over and sat next to him.

"So what are you boys talking about?' asked Keiko as she sat down next to Yusuke. He unwittingly placed a hand on her leg as he replied "The case Koenma gave us."

"Shouldn't we be getting started on it?" asked Kuwabara.

"Yes, but don't you think it's best to try and strategize before diving headfirst into a case?" Kurama stated.

"That's why we have you fox boy" Yusuke said while laughing. Keiko smacked him playfully on the shoulder and said "Yusuke, don't you think it's unfair to rely on Kurama all the time for strategies? You can't expect him to form a plan for every case you get."

Everyone laughed at Keikos comment because they knew that Yusuke, even though he was brave was never one for strategy. Once they had settled Keiko looked over at the clock and saw it was getting rather late. She jumped out of her chair and said "Yusuke look at the time, you should really be getting me home you know."

And with that the three of them got up and made their way to the door. Botan remembered that she had forgotten to give Yusuke the item Koenma had given her and before he walked out the door she said "Yusuke I have something for you from Koenma. He said it might help with the case, it's supposed to help catch the demons getting through the net." She handed him the spyglass and he thanked her and left.

While the spirit detectives had been ironing out the details of their plans the shadow watched and listened intently to their conversation. When he was absolutely sure they didn't know more than he wanted them to he slipped away.

After everyone had left Kurama turned back to Botan and said "So my dear what do you want to do with the rest of our evening?"

She thought for a moment and said "Well we never got to finish the movie we started a few nights ago."

He smiled and said "Alright" and with that he got everything ready to start the movie. When he was done he sat down on the couch and motioned for her to sit down next to him. When she sat down he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaded into him when she settled he placed a kiss on her temple.

Halfway through the movie he looked at her and saw she had fallen asleep, he smiled and wrapped his other arm around her and moved so they were both lying down. Before he closed his eyes he kissed her head and whispered "Goodnight."

Kurama opened his eyes slowly and gazed at his surroundings, he realized he was in his living room and then remembered that he and Botan had been watching a movie, 'That's right she fell asleep' he though as he remembered lying down next to her and soon falling asleep as well. He heard a noise and soon saw Hiei standing in the hallway. Hiei laughed as he looked at the two of them on the couch. Kurama glared at him and asked him telepathically 'How long have you been here?'

Hiei replied 'Not long but you might want to get up, Yusuke and the idiot will be here shortly' as his Jagan eye glowed. Kurama gazed at the sleeping Botan in his arms and started to wake her up, he said her name and started to move his arms so he was no longer holding her. She awoke groggily and asked what time it was. He answered and then said "Botan we have to get up." She groaned and Hiei laughed, she opened her eyes and saw him standing there and quickly jumped off the couch and ran upstairs mumbling something about how her vacation seemed an awful lot like work. As soon as she was out of sight there was a knock on the front door. He ran his fingers through his hair and opened it to find his friends waiting.

"Hey Kurama" said Yusuke

"Morning Kurama" said Kuwabara

"Good morning, please come in" Kurama said as he moved aside so they could enter the house. They stepped inside and he shut the door behind them. They stood in the living room for a few seconds until Kurama asked "Would anyone care for something to drink?"

Without waiting for an answer he headed towards the kitchen and everyone followed. They walked into the kitchen and while Kurama started to fix a pot of coffee the others sat down. For once Yusuke and Kuwabara weren't fighting; of course it could be due to the early hour and the fact that Yusuke rarely got up this early. Once the coffee was ready Kurama set a cup in front of Yusuke and Kuwabara. He didn't bother making a cup for Hiei he knew he wouldn't touch it.

While waiting for the coffee to cool down the four detectives chatted about nothing in particular. Meanwhile upstairs Botan was dawdling; she didn't want to go hunt demons she wanted to stay wrapped in Kurama's arms. She looked in the mirror and sighed and then put her hair in its trademark ponytail and got dressed. Finally she was ready to kick some demon butt.

She started down the stairs and heard voices coming from the kitchen, she walked in and said good morning to everyone and got a cup of coffee before sitting down. Once she was seated Yusuke spoke "So what was the plan again?"

Kuwabara piped up and said "Urameshi don't you pay attention to anything? We three are going to kick some demon butt, while Kurama and Shorty head to Demon world."

"Oh yeah I remember now" said Yusuke as he scratched his head.

This time it was Botan who spoke "Honestly Yusuke it's a wonder you've come this far with a memory like that."

Everyone but Yusuke laughed at her comment. Once the laughter died down the conversation turned serious again. They continued discussing the case when Yusuke began to get restless, he stood up and slammed his hands on the table and said "Are we going to sit around all day and talk or are we going to kick some ass?"

Everyone stood and Kurama said "Well I guess we better get started." He excused himself to go change and the others waited in silence. He soon re-entered the room and asked "Ready?"

Everyone nodded and they filed out of the kitchen with Botan bringing up the rear. She grabbed Kurama's arm and slipped something in his hand. He looked down and saw what looked like a woman's compact. He looked at her quizzically and asked "Botan, what is this for?"

She said "Just in case" and she moved to catch up with the others. He stopped her before she could reach the doorway and pulled her body so it was pressed tightly against his and he kissed her. She delved her fingers into his hair and his hand slowly moved to cup her behind. The kiss was about to turn heated when he received another telepathic message from Hiei. All he said was "Fox" and with that Kurama broke away from Botan. At that moment Kuwabara came back into the room and said "Uh I forgot my jacket." He looked from Botan to Kurama and grinned at the thought of catching them in an intimate moment.

She sent Kuwabara a death glance and stood on her tiptoes to place a kiss on Kurama's cheek before turning and walking out of the room with Kuwabara behind her. Kurama stood in place and watched her walk away his thoughts soon turned wicked until he heard Yusuke yelled his name. He cleared the naughty thoughts from his head and rolled his eyes and walked to where the others were.

Once they had decided on a time to meet in Spirit world to share what they had learned they all left. Yusuke, Kuwabara and Botan headed towards the city while Kurama and Hiei headed to the nearest portal that would take them to Makai.

Yusuke and Kuwabara started bickering almost as soon as they group split up. Botan just ignored them; instead she chose to think about the kiss she had shared with Kurama before Kuwabara had interrupted them. She had enjoyed the feeling of his hand on her bottom, and his lips had been warm and soft on hers. She continued to daydream and didn't notice that her partners had stopped their bickering and were staring at her.

Yusuke looked at her and said "Thinking about a certain fox boy Botan?"

She snapped out of it and glared at him in response. Yusuke just laughed. She got irritated and smacked him with her oar to shut him up. Now it was Kuwabara's turn to laugh while Yusuke rubbed the lump forming on his head. Once Kuwabara had stopped laughing Botan said "Yusuke, did you remember to bring the spyglass?"

"Do I look stupid? Of course I did" he said as he searched his pockets.

"Ah –hah!" he said as he finally found what he had been searching for.

Botan and Kuwabara just shook their heads at him and Botan reached in her pocket and pulled out the demon compass and the three of them started their search.

Once Hiei and Kurama reached Makai they decided it would be best for Hiei to use his Jagan to search for anything out of the ordinary. Hiei stood still on a hill overlooking Makai his Jagan eye glowing as he searched. Kurama stood beside him silently waiting for his friend to tell him what he was seeing. After a while Hiei opened his eyes and looked towards where Kurama was waiting.

"Well" he said as Hiei covered the Jagan once more.

Hiei shook his head indicating he neither saw nor heard anything that would aid them in their search.

The two talked for a moment about what they should do next and when they both agreed to search on foot. They searched for any new portals or holes that would allow demons to pass through to Living world without any problem but they came up with nothing. Kurama suggested that Hiei once more use his jagan to search for a possible informant and Hiei agreed.

Hiei once more took off his eye covering and quietly searched once more. Once again he came up with nothing. They looked at one another and decided to head to Spirit World and wait for Yusuke, Kuwabara and Botan.

As the two of them headed towards Rekai a shadow followed them, the shadow had watched them closely all day and knew that they had found nothing that would harm his plans. He laughed inwardly at the ineptness of the two demons.

Back with Botan and the rest of the gang

The other three weren't having much luck either. They had been searching for hours and had come up with nothing. Every now and then the compass would acknowledge the presence of a demon but it turns out it was reacting to Yusuke any time Botan got too close to him.

After a while they decided maybe it would be better if they split up, they could cover more ground that way and they had the mirrors just in case they need to call for help. Botan headed towards the park while Yusuke and Kuwabara headed towards a rougher part of town. They decided to meet back in Spirit world at the appointed time unless one or the other had managed to capture a demon who they could deliver to Koenma.

Botan exhaled and picked up the pace. She wanted the day to be over. She was so tired; her vacation hadn't been much of a vacation. She kept her eyes peeled and checked the compass repeatedly. She was having no luck and decided to take a break and sat down on a bench. She surveyed the park and smiled as she saw families having fun.

Her thoughts soon turned back to Kurama as she saw couples walking hand in hand. She wondered if they would ever get the chance to experience that without being interrupted. Someday she hoped. She sighed and moved to stand up, as soon as she was on her feet she looked at the compass, it was signaling that a demon was near.

She decided to go check it out first before calling Yusuke and Kuwabara. She wasn't picking up a huge level of energy from the demon so she assumed he was low class and decided she might be able to handle him on her own. She moved to where the signal was coming from and soon found what she was looking for.

To anyone else the demon would have looked normal but she could tell the difference. She moved towards him trying not to draw too much attention to herself. She finally got close enough to him and as she made a move to take out her oar and knock him out, her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell to the ground.

Kurama and Hiei were the first to arrive in Spirit World; they were led to Koenma's office where they delivered the bad news that they had not been able to find out any information in Makai. A short while later Yusuke and Kuwabara made their way into Koenma's office. They too had had no luck in finding out any information for Koenma.

Kurama looked around and asked "Where's Botan?"

Yusuke and Kuwabara shrugged and said "Well we decided to split up; she said she would meet us here."

"Alright" Kurama replied as he began to feel nervous about her not being there.

The detectives waited around and Botan still had not showed. Kurama was getting worried and began to pace the floor. The other detectives just watched him not knowing what to say or do. Finally Yusuke had an idea he said "I know, we should try the mirror."

Kurama said "I should have thought of that" and pulled out his mirror to call her and find out where she was. She didn't answer. By this point Kurama was ready to scream, he decided that he could wait in Spirit World no longer and headed home.

Once he got there he searched the house for her but could not find her. He sat down on the couch and sighed.

'Where could she be?' he thought.


	8. Chapter 8

Together (rewrite)

Chapter 8

Kurama was a wreck. He had stayed up all night waiting for Botan to contact him but she never did, he called her every few minutes but got no answer. He waited until morning and decided to make some calls and see if she came back to Ningenkai and stayed somewhere else, he called Keiko, Shizuru even Master Genkai, but Botan was nowhere to be found. He decided to head to Rekai to check there. 'Maybe Lord Koenma called her back and she couldn't contact me' he thought as he made his way to the nearest portal. When he got to the palace he went straight to Koenma's office. He burst through the doors and said "Where is she Koenma?"

The toddler lord looked confused for a moment and then said "Who?"

"Botan, of course." Kurama said through gritted teeth.

Koenma continued to look confused and said "I don't know where she is Kurama; I thought she was with you or the other detectives."

Kurama's shoulders slumped and he braced himself against a wall to steady himself. Koenma put down his stamp and got up and walked over to the red head. He looked at the former spirit fox with pity in his eyes. He went to the door and poked his head out and called for an ogre. George soon appeared and Koenma whispered to him to quickly call for the other three spirit detectives. Koenma shut the door and walked back over to Kurama and summoned a chair for him to sit in and rest. Soon the doors were opening again and in walked Yusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei.

The three saw the state Kurama was in and walked over to make sure he was alright. Kurama looked at his friends and acknowledged their presence. Koenma quietly asked Kurama to explain what was going on, Kurama began to explain to them his encounter with the strange apparition; the other three detectives listened intently until he was finished.

"Obviously this person knows about you Kurama" said Hiei. Before he could say another word Yusuke spoke up and said "So you're telling us that you've been detecting a strange energy and had an encounter with a strange apparition and you never told us?"

Kurama glared at him and replied "Well. . .I" he trailed off embarrassed that he had not told his friends the entire story. Hiei saw his friend's anxiety and said "Detective instead of sitting around arguing about what action Kurama should have taken don't you think we should figure out where the onna is?"

Kurama looked at his friend and nodded as if he was thanking him for interrupting Yusuke's tirade. The detectives fell silent and thought but no one had any clue where to start looking for Botan. They had no clues as to who might have taken her or where they might be holding her.

The five of them sat in silence trying to think of a plan to find Botan. Everyone looked towards Kurama, he normally was the one they could all count on to think of a plan, but right now he was too distraught to do anything. No one really knew what to do, they knew they should try and comfort Kurama but they were unsure of how to do so. Kuwabara opened his mouth and said something stupid as usual; Kurama looked toward the teenager and nodded but did not reply. Yusuke got up out of the chair he had been sitting in and was about to open his mouth to say something when he was interrupted by an alarm. George the ogre quickly ran into Koenma's office and said "Lord Koenma sir, there's been a development. It seems there have been quite a number of demons causing havoc in Ningenkai."

Koenma raised his eyebrows and looked towards the detectives and said "You know what to do."

Yusuke, Kuwabara and Hiei stood up and began to exit Koenma's office, they turned and realized Kurama was not following. Kuwabara opened his mouth to say something but was silenced by Hiei "let him be." The three of them quickly made their way back to Living World to capture the demon. Once they were back in Ningenkai Hiei used his Jagan eye to locate the demon. The three detectives found him soon enough, he was hanging out in a lowly part of town. They decided the best plan of action would be to capture him and return the apparition to Koenma so they may question him without gaining too much attention from the Ningens.

Yusuke and Kuwabara got ready for a fight while Hiei snuck up behind the apparition and quickly knocked him unconscious. When the apparition fell to the ground Hiei turned to the two teens and said "Let's go." Yusuke and Kuwabara looked a little disappointed that they didn't get to fight, but that soon dissipated. They gathered up the apparition and made their way back to Rekai where they could question him without fear of being interrupted by a Ningen.

Once they were back in Rekai they took the apparition directly to Koenma's office and when they opened the door they saw Kurama still sitting where they had left him. He looked towards them when the door opened and a look of surprise crossed his face when he saw the apparition being led into the room. Hiei began to question the apparition, Kurama was silent. Even after Hiei got inventive with his questioning the apparition still did not talk. Suddenly Kurama cried out in frustration and his eyes started to turn gold, but he stayed in his human form. He pulled a seed from his hair and before the others could stop him he transformed it into his death plant.

The apparition's eyes filled with fear but he still stayed silent. It wasn't until he felt the sting from the plants venom that he decided it would be better for him in he told them what they wanted to know. It took a while but they finally got all the information from him, information about how he had breached the barrier and who had taken Botan.

When Kurama was sure the apparition had told them all he knew, he ordered his plants to devour the prisoner without a second thought. The plants greedily obeyed their master. Yusuke and Kuwabara stood shocked at Kurama's actions but Hiei just remained silent, he could see Kurama was struggling and fighting not to lose control. When the deed was done Kurama transformed the plant back into a seed and returned it to his hair.

He turned to the others and said "Let's go" and with that he left and headed to Makai to reclaim the woman he thought of as his.

Yusuke and Kuwabara kept their distance from Kurama, the look in his eyes was deadly and in all honesty it scared them, they had never seen Kurama so cold. Hiei just sent sideways glances at Kurama every few seconds. He knew just how cold and ruthless Kurama was in his former life but had never seen his human form like this.

"Fox" Hiei said telepathically.

"What?" Kurama answered callously.

"We will get her back" he replied. Kurama looked at his friend and nodded.

Yusuke slowly made his way over to his friend and said "Kurama", the red head slowly turned to look at the Spirit Detective. Yusuke laid a hand on his friends shoulder reassuringly and Kurama acknowledged his action and spoke for the first time since leaving Spirit World.

"Yusuke I have to get her back" he said his eyes full of fear.

"Yusuke replied "You will Kurama and we will help."

The four of them started walking in the direction the apparition told them they would find the ferry girl. Hiei uncovered his Jagan eye in order to search the area for signs of their enemy. He saw nothing. They continued on their journey towards a forgotten corner of Makai.

The sky began to darken the closer they got and soon lightening began to flash. In the distance they could see the outline of a sprawling castle sitting on a hill. As they got closer Hiei threw off his cloak, while Yusuke turned into his Mazuko form; Kuwabara called for his Spirit Sword and Kurama transformed into Yoko. Before they reached the hill the four stopped in a clearing to discuss how they planned to rescue Botan.

Yusuke and Kuwabara offered to stay outside the castle and take care of anyone that might get in their way while Hiei and Kurama would enter the dark castle and find out if Botan was indeed being held there. Once they were all clear on their roles the four looked at each other on last time and then went off in different directions.

Kurama and Hiei started scaling the hill to reach the ruins. The climb itself was easy enough however getting past the traps set was a little more difficult. Every so often the two apparitions would encounter an obstacle in the form of demons.

The first few demons they encountered were child's play for the two S class demons, one swing of Kurama's rose whip and one slash of Hiei's katana was enough to vanquish them. The next few obstacles required a little more stealth but in the end Kurama and Hiei were victorious.

Meanwhile Yusuke and Kuwabara were having the time of their lives, well at least Yusuke was. He was enjoying beating the crap out of any demon he encountered. Kuwabara on the other hand was a little less enthusiastic. Although he enjoyed a good fight he couldn't help but feel bad that he couldn't do more to help Kurama and Botan. He was becoming distracted with worry and Yusuke had to help him out with a few blasts from his shotgun.

"Kuwabara pay attention" screamed Yusuke as the dust began to settle after his latest blast.

"Thanks Urameshi" Kuwabara replied, his thoughts turned back to Kurama. He felt bad; he knew what it was like to have the love of your life taken away. Although in Kuwabara's case it was a little different considering Yukina still had no clue Kuwabara loved her.

Yusuke and Kuwabara continued their assault on the lower class demons and soon their numbers were dwindling. The two boys soon were able to start trying to catch up to Kurama and Hiei.

Meanwhile Kurama and Hiei had finally made their way past the hoard of demons and were standing before a huge set of doors.

"It's too easy" Kurama said.

"Agreed" replied Hiei.

'Let's find an alternate way in. I have a feeling this may be a trap" Kurama said as he began to search for another way inside.

Hiei nodded and once again used his Jagan, after a few minutes Hiei opened his eyes and called to his friend. Kurama turned and nodded. Soon the two were quietly making their way around to a particularly dark part of the ruins. They made their way down the hallway Kurama using his lamp weeds to light their way.

Every few paces they would encounter a low level demon, but they were no match for Kurama in his Yoko form. Hiei just stood to the side and let his friend get out all his frustration and anger on the unsuspecting and weak demons that got in his way. Soon the hallway was littered with demon corpses.

Kurama took one look behind him and smirked "Pitiful" he said and turned to continue his search for his beloved.

Hiei said noting he just followed his friend every once in a while glancing at him. Kurama's face never changed, he still had a look on his face that would strike fear into the heart of anyone who might encounter him. Soon the two were stepping into a large circular room.

Suddenly the room lit up and a strange laugh could be heard echoing off the walls. The laughter soon abated but no one appeared. Soon a deep voice could be heard "Welcome" was all it said.

Kurama and Hiei exchanged glances and waited. A great cloud of mist started to flood the room and Kurama and Hiei put their guards up. Through the mist a pair of red eyes could be seen. Pretty soon the room was filled with pairs of red eyes. Kurama growled and said "Show yourself you coward."

The voice laughed again and soon the eyes faded away and the room began to darken. Suddenly an image began to appear before the two demons. The image was fuzzy at first but soon began to become clearer. Kurama gazed at the image and clenched his fists so tight his nails began to cut through his skin. He growled again and dropped to his knees. Before his was an image of Botan, bound and chained. Her skin was pale and her clothes were caked in dirt. Kurama could see that she had been crying and that made him even more furious.

The image suddenly faded and a man soon stepped into the room. It was the same man Kurama had seen at the club with Botan. The man didn't say a word as he walked towards the spirit detectives; he kept his eyes on Kurama, neither spoke until the man stopped in front of the fox. Hiei made a move for his sword but Kurama put a hand out to stop him. Kurama turned towards his friend and the look on his face said it all. Hiei nodded and stepped back, he slowly made his way out of the room in search of Yusuke and Kuwabara.

**Meanwhile….**

Yusuke and Kuwabara had finally made their way to the top of the hill and soon were standing in front of the same doors Kurama and Hiei had stood in front of just moments earlier. Not being as smart as Kurama and Hiei the two teens charged inside and fell right into a trap. Before they knew it they were hanging upside down with vicious dog like creatures nipping at them fingers.

"Uh Urameshi" said Kuwabara.

"What?" Yusuke said impatiently.

"How are we gonna get out of this?" Kuwabara asked.

"Give me a minute I'm thinking" screamed Yusuke.

'That'll take forever' Kuwabara thought.

Before long they both started feeling ill at being hung upside down for so long and Yusuke was losing his patience. Yusuke screamed again and shot a huge blast from his finger. Soon the two found themselves on the floor. They stood up rubbing their sore spots and made their way down the dark hall, Kuwabara's sword lighting the way.

"Where are you hiding her?" Kurama said between clenched teeth.

The man laughed again and replied "Whoever do you mean?"

"You know exactly who I'm talking about, where is Botan?" he growled.

"What could you possibly want with my woman, fox?" the man replied.

"Your woman, what makes you think she would ever be with someone like you?" Kurama stated.

"She has always been mine Spirit Fox, you see I have been watching her for a long time, she was always meant to be mine, until you came along and stole her from me" he said as he summoned his weapon.

Kurama took a rose from his hair and transformed it into his rose whip, and the man brandished a weapon of his own. The two circles each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Kurama decided to attach first and lashed out with his whip. The man blocked Kurama's lash with his blade. Kurama continued to lash out with his whip and the enemy continued to block his lashes. Kurama decided to pull back his whip and the man put away his blade, they stared at one another for some time sizing each other up each looking for the others weakness.

The fire demon soon found Yusuke and Kuwabara. They were in a hallway surrounded by a group of demons, in a flash Hiei was upon them and soon the demons fell to the ground dead. The two teens looked at the short demon and Yusuke said "Hiei, thanks man."

"Hnnn" was Hiei's reply.

"Where's fox boy?" Yusuke asked.

"Let's go, we have to find the onna" Hiei said as he sheathed his sword before turning and walking away. The two boys stared at him for a second and then went running to catch up.

Botan opened her eyes and blinked, she felt sick to her stomach. She moved to push her bangs from her face but her hand never reached. She looked up and found that her hands were chained to a wall. She began to panic, but then thought panicking wouldn't help her escape and took a few deep breaths to calm her rapidly beating heart.

'How am I going to get out of this?' she thought. She hung her head and began to think of a possible escape.

The two fighters continued to size each other up. Kurama decided to try a sneak attend and he swung his whip once more at the figure and was satisfied when the whip made contact and he could smell fresh blood. The figure looked down at the gash on his arm and smirked "Was that supposed to hurt?"

Kurama pulled his whip back and bared his teeth. He breathed deeply and ran forward to once again attach the dark man. This time instead of using his whip he transformed the plant into a sword. The two blades clashed and sparks flew.

"So this is all you have Spirit Fox?" the dark one said.

Kurama chose not to answer his opponent, they continued their fight and their blades continued to flash as they each tried to wound one another. The strange man landed a blow to Kurama's arm and Kurama pulled back and took a look at the wound. The strange man lashed out once more but Kurama blocked his attack and landed a strong blow to his opponent's chest. The man glared at Kurama and Kurama began to laugh and said "You underestimate me."

The dark figure sneered and moved to raise his blade once more but was surprised to find that his arm was paralyzed. He looked at Kurama his features contorted in anger and cried "What have you done to me?"

Kurama just looked at him and replied "Why I've paralyzed you with one of my plants."

"How?" the figure asked.

Kurama smirked and looked at the gash on the man's arm. Kurama looked at the stranger and said"the wound on your chest was just for fun." The figure looked to where Kurama's gaze was and he understood. Kurama stood in front of his enemy and spoke again "The wound I left on your chest was just for fun. I rather enjoy seeing my enemies wounded."

The man whispered "You have not won, fox."

"I do believe I have, you see I always get what I want and what I want is Botan."

"I will have her, she will be mine! And I will get you for this fox" the figure screamed as his others limbs were immobilized. Kurama began to walk away and turned back once more to look at the figure a wicked grin on his face "Never" was all he said as he once again reached for his whip and struck down the man who had stolen his beloved.

Hiei, Yusuke and Kuwabara had come across a dark staircase. Hiei and Yusuke stepped forward and Kuwabara stopped them and stuttered "Um don't you think we should wait for Kurama?"

"No, the fox can take care of himself' Hiei said as he began his descent.

Kurama breathed a sigh of relief when the lights left the eyes of his enemy. It was over; he turned his whip back into a rose and returned the rose to his hair. He quickly began to search for his beloved. He made his way into a hallway and soon encountered a winding staircase, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath and began to descend.

Botan began to panic again she heard footsteps descending the stairs and cowered in the corner. She closed her eyes and waited for her kidnapper to show himself. She felt him bend down in front of her and place his fingers on her chin and tilt her head upwards. She kept her eyes closed until a familiar voice said her name.

She opened her eyes and was met with a pair of golden ones. She let out a yelp of surprise and quickly turned away not realizing who was sitting in front of her.

"Don't be scared Botan, it's me" the voice said and with that Kurama transformed back into his human form.

"Kurama" she cried as she tried to wrap her arms around him, but her arms didn't move then she remembered she was chained to a wall.

"Botan are you alright?" Kurama asked and he placed a hand on her cheek.

"Yes" she replied as she watched him pick the locks and free her arms. Once her arms were free she threw herself at Kurama and he fell over with her on top of him. They gazed at each other and she flushed and moved so he could sit up.

"Thank you for coming to save me" she whispered.

"Oh Botan you don't need to thank me I came because I love you and I didn't want to see you hurt" he replied.

She jerked her head to look at him and said "Oh Kurama, I love you too" and with that he pulled her close and kissed her like he had never kissed her before. She leaned into him and wrapped herself around him. They never heard the others enter the room; they just stayed in each other's arms until Yusuke said "Get a load of this, should we leave you two alone?"

Kurama looked at him and growled and Botan buried her head in his shoulder.

"Maybe we should go" Kurama said as he stood up and helped Botan stand. She tried to walk but her legs wouldn't cooperate and she felt herself begin to fall but Kurama caught her and scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to Spirit World.

Once they arrived in Spirit World Botan was rushed to the infirmary, Kurama desired nothing more than to stay by her side but he could not, he was required to report to Koenma. Once the detectives were done filling in the toddler lord about what had transpired in Makai Kurama slowly made his way to the infirmary to visit Botan, he was surprise to see that she was not there.

He stopped a nurse and inquired about what had happened to her and the nurse told him they had sent her back to her room. He thanked her and started towards Botan's room but was stopped by Lord Koenma along the way.

"Kurama, I don't think it is a good idea for her to see you right now" Koenma said.

"And why not?" Kurama asked.

"She has been through much in these past few days; maybe you should let her rest." Koenma replied.

"Perhaps you are right" Kurama said and with that made his way back to Ningenkai.

"So who was he?" Botan asked Koenma as she stared at her captor's image on the screen.

"Well as far as I can tell he was a nobody. Just someone who had seen you on one of your quests to Makai to guide a spirit and became obsessed with you" Koenma replied.

"Oh" Botan said as she turned to walk out of Koenma's office. Before she could leave she heard him say "Don't worry Botan he can't hurt you anymore, and I will make sure he is punished severely for his actions."

"Thank you Koenma" she said as she headed for her room.


	9. Chapter 9

Together (rewrite)

Epilogue

**A few days later. . . **

Botan knocked on Kurama's door and began to fidget until the door swung open to reveal the red head.

"Hello Botan" Kurama said as he ushered her inside.

"Hello" she replied shyly as he led her to the sofa where they could both sit.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked.

"Yes I am thank you" she replied as she looked over at him.

She opened her mouth to say something else but quickly shut it and looked away from him. Kurama could sense her nervousness and said "Botan I want you to know I meant what I said in the castle."

She turned to look at him once more and before she knew it she found herself being held in his arms. He wasted no time and leaned down to capture her lips in a searing kiss. She kissed him back with just as much passion and once he released her so they could both breathe she said "I love you too Kurama."

He lowered his lips to hers once more and continued to kiss her like she had never been kissed before. She pulled his body closer to hers and delved her fingers into his hair. He wrapped his arms around her waist and enjoyed the feeling of her body pressed against his. He moved them slowly towards the couch and lowered her down and moved so he was straddling her. He wasted no time in lowering his lips to hers once more and she sighed. They continued like this until a ringing sound interrupted them, Botan let out a scream and quickly extracted her compact from her pocket and threw it against the wall.

Kurama laughed at her actions and moved so he could step off the couch. Botan groaned as he left her but he said "Don't worry my dear I'm just getting rid of anything that might interrupt us" and with that he unplugged the phones and turned off all the lights. Kurama scooped Botan up off the couch and held her close, he whispered into her ear and she blushed but nodded. He carried her off to the bedroom where the two could finally be alone without having to worry about any interruption or distractions.


End file.
